And it’s not just the rental market that’s the pits, either. New figures have reinforced our pessimism about maybe one day buying a property, as it was revealed that sellers’ asking prices hit a new record high in England and Wales, averaging more than £313,000 in April.

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The data, released by property website Rightmove, show the average asking price for a property being put on the market rose by £3,547 (a 1.1% month-on-month increase) to reach £313,655, reported The Guardian. This is up from a previous high of £310,471 in June 2016.

One factor that’s driven the upward trend is the increase in the number of agreed house sales, which have returned to pre-credit crunch levels, Rightmove said.

The first-time buyer sector has also driven up asking prices, as buy-to-let landlords have been deterred from getting involved in the market by changes to previously generous tax rules, added Rightmove.

Asking prices for first-time properties increased by 6.5% year-on-year, with a typical such property (max. two bedrooms) now coming with a record high price tag of £194,881, The Guardian reported.

Asking prices are up 2.2% from last April across all property sectors in England and Wales, Rightmove said, with London and the northeast the only regions where average prices were lower year-on-year.

The average asking price in London dropped by 1.5% annually and now stands at a still-eye-watering £636,777. In the northeast it fell by a less stark 0.7% and the average asking price is now £150,350.

The sharpest rise in asking prices over the last year was in eastern England (5.3%), where the average property price is now £349,269. This was followed by the West Midlands (5%), where the average price is £215,784, and by Wales, where a 4% annual increase saw the average asking price rise to £186,172.

Miles Shipside, director of Rightmove, said we haven't seen so many agreed property sales since 2007 and that demand for housing (sadly) remains high. He said: “With the growth in household numbers and new-build supply struggling to keep pace, demand is strong and has led to the highest sales agreed numbers at this time of year since the heady pre-credit crunch levels,” reported The Guardian.